The object of the invention refers to a link plate for an energy guide chain as well as to an energy guide chain.
Wiring guide units for active guidance of lines, cables or similar devices have a first end, which is fixed locally, and a second end, which is movable, and are known in numerous embodiments.
The classical wiring guide unit also called energy guide chain or briefly energy chain, includes individual chain links connected to each other by linking, to form a common guide channel. Lines, cables or similar elongate and flexible devices are arranged in this guide channel.
A wiring guide unit is known from WO 98/40645, consisting of one-piece protective elements made of plastic. The protective element is produced in one piece by injection molding or casting and has parts which are joined together by movable bridges. The protective element has a bottom segment with a top side, a bottom side, and at least one wall segment, which can be formed to a closed channel section by bending and/or folding the bottom segment toward the top side and securing it with a closing mechanism. Preferably, the protective element is connected or can be connected to other similar protective elements, so that the channel sections form a conduit for lines in a longitudinal direction.
An energy guide chain is known from EP 0 499 809 A1 for guiding of energy conductors, especially cables or tubing, from a fixed connection end to a movable user end. The energy guide chain consists of a multiplicity of chain links which consist of two spaced apart link plates arranged parallel to one another and of two tie bars that connect the link plates.
The mutual pivoting angle of neighboring chain links is limited by cams and inserts having stop faces. The cams of the link plate are arranged in a recess of the link plate and are directed in the longitudinal direction of the link plate. The cams on one end of the link plate are displaced by an angle of 90° in comparison to the cams on the other end of the same link plate, and are arranged in corresponding recesses. Consequently, the connecting line between the cams is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the chain link, while the other cams lie on the longitudinal axis of the link plate. An insert placed in the recesses between the neighboring link plates is essentially cylindrical. The insert has two diametrically opposite slits and two recesses. The width of the slits corresponds to the cams, while the recesses extend over a circular arc that determines the pivoting angle of neighboring chain links. The recesses have stop faces, where the stop faces are always arranged diametrically opposite to the insert. For example, the stop faces are displaced by 90° in the mathematically positive direction of rotation with respect to the slits. The angle between the stop faces is predetermined.
The insert defines the maximum horizontal pivoting angle between neighboring chain links. This angle also determines the radius of curvature in the transition region between an upper trunk and a lower trunk of an energy guide chain.
Another embodiment of an energy guide chain for the guiding of tubings, cables and similar devices between two connection locations is known from DE 197 15 531. This energy guide chain is formed from chain links where the chain links have link plates connected to one another through tie bars. These link plates have stops which are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the middle axis running longitudinally along the chain as a mirror axis so that, depending on the orientation of one of these plates with respect to the longitudinal direction of the chain, the angle positions of the boundary angles defined by the stops are different. With this measure, two different curvature behaviors of the energy guide chain can be realized.